Spring snowfall in Weld County leads to many closures, few crashes

JIM RYDBOM/jrydbom@greeleytribune.com
Near white-out conditions on west 10th Street make for slow driving on Tuesday afternoon in Greeley. The spring storm hit the area, closing schools and roads and left behind 3.5 inches of new snow. Spring temperatures will return with highs in the 60s by Saturday.

JIM RYDBOM/jrydbom@greeleytribune.com
Heavy snow and wind continues to blow as University of Northern Colorado students make their way to class as a spring storm slowly makes its way through Weld County on Tuesday.

JIM RYDBOM/jrydbom@greeleytribune.com
A University of Northern Colorado worker clears snow on Tuesday morning along 11th Avenue near the University Center. High winds and cold temperatures are expected to continue on Tuesday with 3-6inches of more snow.

JIM RYDBOM/jrydbom@greeleytribune.com
Heavy snow falls as a pedestrian makes their way across 11th Avenue during a Spring blizzard in Greeley on Tuesday morning. Cold temperatures in the single digits and 3-6 inches of more snow are expected.

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Motorists may have cursed the arrival of the icy snow storm that blew through the Greeley area Tuesday, but school kids, farmers and ranchers celebrated the flurry of moisture.

Freezing temperatures, snow and high winds prompted a string of closures throughout the day, beginning with all Weld County school districts and Aims Community College’s Weld County campuses. By midday, the University of Northern Colorado and Weld County offices announced they would close their doors early, citing snowpacked and icy road conditions.

Hannah Davidson, a UNC sophomore studying nursing, laughed from the University Center lobby as she imitated her friend Sophie Green, a junior dietetic major, upon hearing the news that classes were canceled for the rest of the day.

“Aieee!” Davidson exclaimed, squealing with delight in a re-enactment.

“I couldn’t be happier,” said Green, who got out of a three-hour chemistry lab because of the snow. She said she planned to nap the rest of the day.

Few people braved the biting winds that accompanied Tuesday’s spring snowstorm, which brought about 3.5 inches to Greeley, with another half inch of snow expected overnight, according to the National Weather Service.

No roads closed in northern Colorado, but officials reported major corridors as hazardous for driving.

Bureau Chief Steve Reams, spokesman for the Weld County Sheriff’s Office, said deputies responded to multiple crashes and slide-offs in the county, but none resulted in serious injuries. The most major incident, Reams said, was a cattle truck that rolled onto its side Tuesday morning on Colo. 14 between Weld County roads 63 and 65. The driver was transported to North Colorado Medical Center and the cattle were transferred to another trailer.

In the mountains, accumulation was far from enough to reach a regular year for snowpack.

According to the Colorado Snotel Snowpack Update Map, last updated on Monday, statewide snowpack was 69 percent of the historic average, with 4.4 inches of snow reported Tuesday morning at Buckhorn Mountain in the Poudre Canyon.

“We are welcoming any moisture we can get,” said Artie Elmquist, a Mead farmer who is preparing to plant alfalfa, sugar beats, barley and corn. “However ... It’s going to be a very challenging year.”

With the announcement that cities such as Greeley and Longmont won’t have extra water to lease to agriculture this year, Elmquist said he will likely reduce the acres of corn he will plant this year.

“I’m expecting adequate water supplies through the month of June, then July and August will get very interesting and challenging,” Elmquist said. “I’m not sure yet how some of us will manage” without water from municipalities, he said.

On the bright side, Elmquist and others will likely benefit from recent moisture in their fields, said Bruce Bosley, Colorado State University Extension crop specialist for northeast Colorado. He said moisture in the soil and subsoil makes for better planting conditions.

As for the crops that have already been planted, Bosley said the snow acts as a blanket against freezing temperatures, so most should be fine.

Shiloh Hatcher, Greeley forestry manager, said he kept his fingers crossed for continued high winds, which kept snow from collecting on tree limbs, especially the cottonwood and willow trees that have already started to bud.

Even if tree buds freeze, Bosley said they have an arsenal of backups before they would go bare.

“It’s not nice to have to deal with slick roads,” Bosley said. “But the moisture has been helpful.”

Jeff LeJeune and son Sebastion, 13, were some of the few who pulled out the winter wear to tag team a shoveling job at their home near Glenmere Park on Tuesday.

By noon, LeJeune said he and Sebastion had already done some cleaning, conducted a science experiment (they poured boiling water into an aluminum can, which made it collapse) and engaged in a debate on global warming.

Later, LeJeune said he planned to play racquetball, and Sebastion said he would head to Nottingham Hill for a bout of sledding.